Torr
The city-states of Torr are a recent coalition of five main cities situated in the arable south of Torlan. The cities put high emphasis on scholarship and philosophy, and are constantly re-inventing their respective governmental systems. Collectively, the cities are very industrious, emphasizing progress and profit highly. The five major Torr city-states are Cro’yallé - One of the most influential cities, located in the Southwest and known for their intense scholarship, sea trade, and the precious metals from their many mines. The mining industry, as well as much of the rest of the labour of the city is supported by a booming slave trade. Barrin Za'ar - The Northeastern city of Torr has always painted itself as the underdog of the five cities; not being known particularly for any specific industry or school of thought. However, due to their position close to greater Krysmark and Naindale, they are the destination for many immigrants and refugees, feeding the high percentage of the population of the city living in poverty. In fact, Barrin Za'ar's true claim to fame are the twin deadly reputations of their Thieve's and Assassin's guild. While the Thieve's guild is more famous for the way it finds its way into influencing every home and business in the city, Barrin Za'ar assassins are praised worldwide. The lands outside Barrin Za'ar are controlled by agricultural corporations, who subjugate and control farmers in a way very close to feudalism. Valencia - A pinnacle of shining light and benevolence within the continent of Torlan, Valencia has adopted a revolutionary new form of government they call democracy; where every person in the city may weigh in on decisions being made. Their schools are renowned for their focus on the humanities, and their poverty rate is the lowest in the Torr union. They also house the united conclave, where the five cities come together on special occasion to make decisions at the scale of the union. These are incredibly rare occurences, the most recent being regarding Cro y'alle's decision to colonize part of the southern continent. Yel'lech - The only non-coastal major city within Torr. Its claim to fame is its venerated military tradition. Most cities in Torr don't have much in the way of army infrastructure, preferring to hire one of Yel'lech's legendary mercenary bands to more than make up for otherwise minimally trained militia regulars. The area surrounding Yel'lech, are incredibly harsh, and rumours of a secret military training base in the mountain ranges to the north, or in the jungles past them, only heighten the mythic element of these incredible warriors. Tirn Na'gast - Isolated up on the east coast, Tirn Na'gast is known for its magical prowess. All schools of magic find homes here, from wizards to druids to clerics. Due to such a reverence for the mystical arts, Tirn is a mysterious city, and its people are common scary elements in children's stories across the land. The city is also the primary point of contact for the gnomish traders that come down from the North, and use this fact along with their minimal contact with the rest of Torr to highly increase the prices of the goods they buy from the Gnomes.